Customer Reviews

Environments 1: Psychologically Ultimate Seashore

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It's difficult to review the ocean. This CD is a recording of the breaking surf. And that's it, for a full 60 minutes. Once released as a double sided LP, the CD does suffer from a slight editing problem where the sound "breaks" for a few seconds during the recording, but this flaw is barely noticeable.

This is a wonderful CD for meditation, relaxation, and sleep. Definitely do not attempt extended "active" listening with this CD, as it does not contain anything but the natural sounds of the surf. It does not contain subliminal messages. It is meant to be played at a low volume as ambient sound. This tranquil recording is especially effective for insomnia. Setting your player on "Repeat" will give you a nightlong loop of sound to sleep by.

There are numerous "Environments" recordings, some of which are out of print. I recommend them all, especially "Wood-Masted Sailboat," and any of the several "Rainstorm" recordings.

This is a wonderful recording, excellent sound quality, only the seashore no music mixed in, I use this for sleep without looping it and I never hear the end of the recording!! It's 60 minutes of seashore waves, be careful not to play it too loud, you'll probably have to adjust the volume lower than you think.

This album was designed to relax you. It does a very good job. Doctors could prescribe this album to releive stress! It quiets down the room, masking the sound of life outside. Playing it causes your breathing to slow, and takes the edge off a cruel and difficult world.

Environments produced at least two "psychologically ultimate" albums including this one and the "Psychologically Ultimate Thunderstorm." I have had them ever since they first came out on vinyl in the '70s. I lost my copy of this album years ago, but managed to find the Thunderstorm album on vinyl. I then recorded it to CD and play it all night long to sleep. I know that the Ultimate Thunderstorm was not a real thunderstorm, but was white noise with some sound effects on top.

I later found a copy of this album on vinyl and recorded it to my computer, set up a 10 hour playlist which simply repeats the seashore and play it to help me relax, when I do work at home, and when I go to sleep. It is more relaxing than the Thunderstorm because it doesn't have the Thunderstorm's sometimes intrusive rumbling thunder. Accordingly, it gets played more than the Thunderstorm.

It is interesting to see the reviews below state that the Psychologically Ultimate Seashore was recorded at night because there are no gull noises. It is my recollection that it was not actually a recording or the seashore, but a simulation designed to be relaxing -- just like the Ultimate Thunderstorm. This is the reason it is self described as "Psychologically Ultimate." It sounds so good. The comments show how good a simulation it is! I've purchased actual recordings of the ocean and thunderstorms and they are not as relaxing.

The reason the album works is because it contains white noise. White noise is a sound that contains every frequencywithin the range of human hearing in equal amounts. This is the static type of sound you get when the radio dial isn't tuned to a station. Pink noise is a variant of white noise, except the tonal balance is different. This is the sound moving water makes. When used properly, as it is here, low level pink noise it is very relaxing. Because this album contains all frequencies, it masks the noise intruding from the outside world. Synthetic Silence.

They managed to use technology to record love and peace! It sounds better than the real thing!

Normally I don't review environmental discs, but this particular one deserves attention. "Environments 1: The Psychologically Ultimate Seashore" was the album that started the whole series of environmental sounds albums, and I do mean the WHOLE series of them, including the various offshoots. Originally released on LP in the 70's (with it's flipside being the sounds of a bird sanctuary), this album is a genuine recording of a seashore, rolling waves and all, and it plays for a full hour. Put it on "Repeat," and it can go on as long as you want. Is it relaxing? You bet it is. Played at low volume, this album helps me to sleep on many a night when I can't, and it also helps to sooth me and clear my mind. I put on this CD, and I'm instantly calmed. In fact, I'm playing it right now....aah....I can almost smell the seabreeze....Every home, in my opinion, should have a copy of "Environments 1: The Psychologically Ultimate Seashore." It's definitely the Big One in the genre of environmental CD's, and it's the only environmental album you'll ever need to own. Put it on, and relax in your home by the sea.

I purchased this CD for the first time about five years ago. I have finally worn it out and am excited that it's still available! It is the best environmental cd on the market--just sounds, no music.

This recording was first issued on LP back in 1970, and was the first in a great series of nature sound recordings. I collected all I could find as they were initially issued, and even have test pressings that never got into full release -- at least not to my knowledge. Definitely play Environments recordings at low volume, so they fade into the background. I certainly wish Syntonic Research / Atlantic would issue more of the original recordings on CD: Optimum Aviary, Tintinnabulation, Ultimate Thunderstorm, Gentle Rain in a Pine Forest, Ultimate Heartbeat, Wind in the Trees, the Okefenokee Swamp Dawn & Dusk tracks, Summer Cornfield, Wood-masted Sailboat, Country Stream, Caribbean Lagoon, Night in the Forest, English Meadow, etc. I still have my turntable, and play these often, and I think many more people would enjoy them on CD if only Atlantic would issue them.

I thought I'd write another review on this cd.This is a great recording of the ocean at night with pounding crashing waves and distant foghorns.I experimented with this cd and burn't it to my hardrive using musicmatch than I downloaded it to my RCA LYRA Mp3 player just to see how it sounds on mp3.It sounds great you can hear every detail from the waves to the foghorn and of course you can always take it off the mp3 player.But it could be relaxing to walk to nature sounds.I still listen to the cd though.I use the lyra mostley for music but nature sounds sound great too.Since this recording is 60 minutes long it will take a little longer to download to your mp3 player.It took it about 2 minutes on mine were it only takes a second for music.But if you have this cd,musicmatch or windowsmedia player and an mp3 player you may want to try listening to this while your walking.

I've listened to a lot of these Ocean CDs, and most of them disappoint. Often there's lame New Age music or foghorns or birds. I bought one ocean CD that had so many gull squawks, I felt like Tippi Hedron!

Thankfully, this CD has nothing but water. It's not the most relaxing ocean CD I've heard (Dan Gibson's "Ocean Surf" holds that title) but at least its ocean sounds are unadulterated. The difference between this CD and the Gibson one is that the ocean seems more turbulent on this CD. The Gibson CD is more mellow -- it seems like you're standing in the surf at low tide. When you listen to "Environments 1: Psychologically Ultimate Seashore," you feel more like you're way out at sea.

"Environments 1: Psychologically Ultimate Seashore" is for those of you who want a stronger-sounding ocean. The other benefit of this CD is that it will be the creepiest title in your CD collection.

This was a record that lasted me through many years. I am now very happy to have it on CD. I am HOPING that more of the records will be issued as CDs. The quality of many "nature" CD's are very poor... or have music blended into them which just does not work. This series is wonderful, Tintinnabulation is also great but hard to come by on CD.

I just got this CD, and I've noticed some strange artifacts in the sounds, there is a strange hum at about 3:16 into the track and occasionally repeating there after (fog horn?). The sea sounds a bit strange, almost like it is cutting in and out. This is with headphones. Not exactly the great recording I was expecting, but it is relaxing when played through speakers. There are much better ocean recordings out there, I have some Solitudes recordings and I think they sound a bit better but both Solitudes and this recording sound a bit synthetic to me. The recent Solitudes recordings of the ocean have too much close up water sounds, like you are listening to it swirling around your feet or when you are flushing a toilet. I much prefer the distant pounding big surf sounds from real waves in a real ocean.

I must have tried 10 different ocean recordings. My all time favorite is one by Scott Wyker called Waves. It sounds very realistic and is the sound you hear when walking on beaches in N. California. If I could have only one recording of the surf that is the one I would have. It is the only one I listen to now. I listen to it to remind me of home sometimes.